Big Fly Baseball Show

MLB trade deadline has passed and the guys break things down in Episode 52. From the insane amount of moves made by the San Diego Padres to teams who stood pat, Victor & Joel give their takes on how this deadline helps shape up the stretch drive. All that and more...enjoy!

The MLB 'season' is near the midway point and the guys touch on last week's happenings in Texas between the Rangers and Padres, the Dodgers and how the Padres might make the NL West interesting as well as looking at where we are in the standing across the board with no real surprises. All that and more. Enjoy!

Our 50th episode of BFBS is now in the books. The guys talked about the ongoing Indians situation with Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger, how the 'entertainment' factor is important while broadcasting games in MLB, Yankees injuries and how it impacts the American League and the upcoming August 31st trade deadline and whether teams will feel compelled to make a move. All this and more. Enjoy!

It was a wild week in Major League Baseball and the guys tackle all of the hot topics in this episode. St. Louis Cardinals still dealing with the Covid situation and having only played 5 games on the year; Zack Plesac being sent home by the Cleveland Indians after breaking protocols Saturday night in Chicago; Red-hot Oakland A's and their fight with the Astros on Sunday. All that and more. Enjoy!

It's been a couple of weeks since the guys got together but with Opening Week behind them, they were ready to dish on everything going on in baseball. From the first 10 days of the MLB season to the new normal of broadcasting games to the Marlins and Cardinals positive test results and the ripple effect on the schedule, Victor & Joel touch on many of the hot topics in baseball. Enjoy!

It's Opening Day and the guys got together to chat about this past week's exhibition games, getting ready for their respective season openers, the Toronto Blue Jays' ballpark situation, the possibility of expanded playoffs happening in '20 and players/coaches kneeling during the anthem. If you love baseball talk, this is the place for it. Enjoy!

With the start of the 'exhibition season' just a week away, the guys got together on Episode 46 to give viewers/listeners an insiders view of what the TV productions are going to be like. Additionally, the guys touched on the ongoing testing issues affecting teams in MLB. Enjoy.

Kicking off their new 'in-season' schedule (Monday's), the guys got together to talk about the return of baseball. While it was nice to reminisce about players back on the field during 4th of July weekend, baseball's return is not without its issues. Specifically the lack of testing and/or results being turned around in timely fashion, thus keeping teams off the field. The guys also touched on the players opting out of playing this season and the scary incident with Masahiro Tanaka. All that and more...enjoy!

For the first time since Major League Baseball announced an agreement with the Player's Association on a 2020 season, the guys got together to discuss how excited they are to return to work, ongoing issues/spikes with COVID & how it impacts the start of the season, whether the protracted negotiations have a negative effect on fans, the new rules being implemented for the season as well as Big Fly Gear's newest storytelling graphic...the George Brett tribute called 'Pine Tar.' All that and more...enjoy! For more info on apparel, visit www.bigflygear.com.

The guys kicked off the week discussing the Player's Association's decision to reject MLB's latest proposal, breaking down the damage the game has done to itself, suggesting ways to make amends with fans if/when the game actually returns and the long-term effect the protracted negotiations will have on the brand of baseball. All this and more...enjoy!

Randall Thompson of Dugout Mugs (dugoutmugs.com) & Jeremy Mitchell of Mitchell Bat Co. (mitchellbatco.com) joined the guys on Wednesday to talk about their respective businesses and how the pandemic, baseball stoppage and unknown of the business of baseball has impacted their respective brands. Cool conversation about branding, creativity and keeping the eyes on the prize. Enjoy!

The guys are back after a week off and they had a lot to say in regards to the ongoing negotiations between MLB and MLB Player's Association. Victor and Joel went one on one and discussed the latest from the weekend's breakdown of talks between the two sides, how we arrived to this point and how do you go about repairing the game's relationship with fans once baseball resumes. All that and more...enjoy!

Dave Sims (Seattle Mariners Television Play by Play) and Bob Kendrick (President - Negro Leagues Baseball Museum) joined the guys on Episode 40. With the current state of affairs around the country and the world regarding racism, the guys talked for over an hour regarding these issues as they specifically relate to Major League Baseball and then delved into the much broader systemic issues of race in our society. A genuine conversation among friends who are working together to bring about change. A must listen...enjoy!

Maury Brown, Senior Contributor for Forbes, joined the guys to talk about MLB rejecting the player's proposal of 114 games by not even countering. Maury gave us his perspective on the topic and how these two groups move forward from here. Maury also gave us his take about the unfortunate way negotiations have taken place in public and the potential long-term damage this may have on the game. All that and more...enjoy!

The calendar has turned to June and still no baseball on the horizon but the guys showed up yet again. On Episode 38, Victor and Joel broke down the MLB Player's Association counter-proposal to MLB owners which includes a season of over 100 games to be played through October 31st. Other details of the proposal were discussed along with the reason why so many are praising Dayton Moore, KC Royals GM. All that and more. Enjoy!

The guys wrapped up the week on Friday chatting about the hottest topics in baseball. More specifically, the guys broke down where Major League Baseball and MLB Player's Association are in the current negotiations, the release of a number of minor league players in the last couple of days and the Trevor Bauer/Kyle Lohse Twitter spat...all that and much more. Enjoy!

We had a great time chatting with former big league pitcher and current ESPN analyst, Rick Sutcliffe, on Wednesday. "Sut" joined us from San Diego to give us his thoughts on what baseball need to do to get back on the field, his take on what it was like for him playing for the Chicago Cubs and his love for his hometown, Kansas City. All this and much more with the former Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award winner. Enjoy!

Eric Nadel has been broadcasting baseball games for the Texas Rangers since 1979. The Hall of Fame broadcaster joined the show on Wednesday from Durango, Colorado to talk about the impact the pandemic has had on him and his schedule, what things will be like for him and all other broadcasters who are in a high-risk group when baseball resumes, his love for the game of baseball and where it all began and whether or not he is getting close to calling it a career. All that and more...enjoy!

Hall of Fame baseball writer, Tracy Ringolsby, joined the show on Monday to talk about a variety of topics and share stories. Tracy gave the guys his thoughts on the current situation with baseball, spoke about how the business of baseball journalism has changed through the years and provided us with his two all-time favorite players he covered...they're both in Cooperstown. All that and more...enjoy!

The guys went old school with no guests on this episode but they certainly had plenty to talk about to wrap up the week. The guys touched on the passing of former MLB player and Executive, Bob Watson. They gave an update on former MLB player and Manager, Art Howe, who is currently hospitalized with Covid-19. The guys then went all-in on all of the stories from this past week regarding the restarting of MLB, revenue sharing issues, Blake Snell and his comments and the overall sense from the population regarding baseball's next move. All that and more...enjoy!

The Oakland A's won 97 games in 2019 and have a terrific young nucleus that could compete for years to come. Pitching coach, Scott Emerson, is the man in charge of the A's pitching staff and he joined the show on Wednesday to talk about what it's been like for a coach dealing with the unknown (return date), the relationship he has with his pitchers, Sean Manaea and the type of pitcher/person he is, Bob Melvin and why he's a the best manager in baseball and he even flashed back a little to his time in the independent Texas-Louisiana League. All that and more...enjoy!

He spent parts of 14 seasons playing Major League Baseball and he's currently the television analyst of the Houston Astros...Geoff Blum is our guest on Episode 31 of the BFBS. Getting a former player's perspective, "Blummer" gave us his thoughts on the current proposals being floated by MLB owners in relation to starting the season in July, his thoughts on the Astros cheating scandal, his first interaction with Zack Greinke when he joined the 'Stros and what it meant to have his jersey retired at his high school in Chino, CA. All that and more...enjoy!

Warstic Sports was founded by Ben Jenkins & has quickly risen in popularity  over the last couple of years as more and more MLB players use their bats. Ben joined the guys on Episode 30 to talk about the impact of MLB's suspension of play has affected the industry, how he came to be partners with Ian Kinsler and Jack White (The White Stripes), preparing for the worst and hoping for the best mindset & much more. Another fascinating talk with a creative entrepreneur who has seen the game from various angles. Enjoy!

KC Royals All-Star, Whit Merrifield is doing his best to stay in shape and be ready for when the 2020 MLB season begins and fortunately for us, he found some time to spend with the guys on Episode 29. Merrifield, from his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., talked about his down time during this period of uncertainty, what it was like for him during his minor-league days seeing players pass him by and about his new partnership with Sunshine Beverages, an energy drink company, among other topics. Enjoy!

The guys switched things up on Episode 28 as former MLB players and current broadcast partners of Victor and Joel, Mark Gubicza and Jeff Montgomery respectively, shared some stories and laughs on the show. "Gubi" and "Monty" spent parts of 9 seasons together with the Kansas City Royals and as best friends, they spent a great deal of time together and they were kind enough to share those stories with us on the show. Enjoy!

What a way to kick off the week as former MLB All-Star & Owner of Loma Brewing Company, Kevin Youkilis, joined the guys on the show. Known as a fantastic hitter, "Youk" talked about turning a passion for craft beers into a successful business based in Northern California, who inspired his management style and he even talked about hitting and his work with the Chicago Cubs during spring training. Fascinating conversation, especially for those interested in the entrepreneurial side of things...enjoy!

MLB umpire and Crew Chief, Ted Barrett, joined the guys on Episode 26 and provided them a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on his life, job and mission in life. From being a boxing sparring partner to getting the call to the big leagues to attending seminary college and becoming an ordained minister, Ted has accomplished a lot in his career and he continues to impact many lives on a daily basis. Join us on this wonderful conversation with a great man. Enjoy!

He was nicknamed the 'D-Train' and took MLB by storm in 2003 with the Florida Marlins and on Episode 25 of the BFBS, Dontrelle Willis joined the guys to share some stories and laughs. From growing up in Oakland and idolizing Dave Stewart to pitching to his two favorite catchers in Pudge Rodriguez and Paul LoDuca to shedding some light on his transition to broadcaster with FOX Sports, Dontrelle did not disappoint. His genuine, outgoing personality is still intact and its no wonder the '03 NL Rookie of the Year inspires so any with his words and smile. Enjoy!

Los Angeles Dodgers sideline reporter, Alanna Rizzo, joined the guys on Episode 24 on Wednesday. The passionate and talented entrepreneur talked about the Dodgers coming off their 106-win season in '19, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers' desire to keep him around beyond this year, the relationship between manager Dave Roberts and the front office, the foundation she created to help reduce the number of dogs on the streets and in shelters in LA (Guidry's Guardian Foundation - guidrysguardian.org) as well as her favorite Cuban restaurant. All that and more...enjoy!

Bill Engvall has been making people laugh for years as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, his own show in Las Vegas and his various appearances on the screen and on Episode 23 of the BFBS, he kept his part of the bargain. From Arizona, the actor/comedian joined the guys to talk about his love of baseball and his favorite team (the LA Angels), what he's been doing during this down time with everything shut down and he even flashed back to a wonderful moment when he spent precious time with Robin Williams. A great little getaway with an awesome guy. Enjoy!

We have spoken to many involved in and around Major League Baseball over the last couple of weeks but on Episode 22, we wanted to shift gears. Chuck Greenberg, Chairman of the Greenberg Sports Group, joined the guys to talk about how the pause in our everyday lives has impacted his 3 minor league teams (Frisco RoughRiders, Myrtle Beach Pelicans and College Station Spikes). Chuck shared some great stories of how his teams have shifted gears to more community-based initiatives in lieu of baseball games, his commitment to al of his employees by keeping everyone employed during these times and even shared stories from his youth as a Pirates fan. Great chat all around. Enjoy!

Big league pitcher, Derek Holland, stopped by the show on Friday and wrapped up another week of fantastic guests. Always known for his easy-going, fun-loving nature, Holland delved into his personality and how he likes to interact with people even on days he's pitching, he spoke about the marketing of players in today's game, his gaming skills and his 60feet6 Foundation to help young cancer patients. A very honest and forthright discussion from a player's perspective...exceedingly refreshing. Enjoy!

Love to laugh when talking baseball? Then you've come to the right episode of the Big Fly Baseball Show as 12-year MLB veteran and 3x All-Star, Sean Casey, joined the guys in what turned out to be a giggle fest. Casey shared what it's been like having a high school Senior and Junior and their baseball season's cancelled, his infectious personality and when it all began, as well as a couple of stories involving John Cena and Marge Schott. One of the funniest show we've done to date. Enjoy!

Jon Daniels, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager of the Texas Rangers, joined the guys on Tuesday to talk all things Texas. Daniels discussed his front office approach during these uncertain times, discussing proposals for baseball's return and how to plan for it under certain scenarios, the evolution of Joey Gallo and Elvis Andrus plus much more. Enjoy!

Hall of Fame pitcher and Minnesota Twins analyst, Bert Blyleven, kicked off Week 4 of the Big Fly Baseball show in grand fashion. From talking about the Twins in 2020, to his thoughts on the lack of depth from starting pitchers in today's game, to his patented 'hot foot' prank, Bert delivers as only he can. He even shares an odorous Bob McClure story from their days with the Angels. All that and much more...call it a Hall of Fame performance. Enjoy!

Each passing day, we hear of the new ideas Major League Baseball is toying with once the game is able to resume. Bob Nightengale, MLB Columnist for USA Today, wrote a piece on Friday detailing a radical realignment based on spring training homes of MLB teams. Bob talks to the guys about the plan that is being discussed as well as a opal of other topics relating to the subject including the implementation of the universal DH. Always fun chatting with a fan of the game of baseball. Enjoy!

The guys shifted their focus toward the National League Central on  Episode 15 as they welcomed long time television broadcaster for the Cardinals, Dan McLaughlin, to the show. Danny Mac talks about his last broadcast from Spring Training in Florida (which turned out to be one of the last live TV sporting events to air due to the pandemic, how baseball will bounce back with fans, Cardinals Nation and how much they appreciate their teams and he looks ahead to the 2020 season and how the Cards stack up in the Central. Enjoy!

ESPN basketball analyst and Hall of Famer, Dick Vitale, joined the guys on Episode 14 of the show. Dickie V did not disappoint as he continues to inspire during these tough times with his motivational clips on social media. He also talked at length about a number of different topics that took the guys through a gauntlet of great sports names...Bob Knight, Joe Maddon, Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider and Hal McRae to name a few. He also talked about his beloved Tampa Bay Rays and how poised they are to take the AL East from the Yankees. All that and more...enjoy!

If you've never been to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, you are missing out. Bob Kendrick, President of the museum, joined the guys in Episode 13 to share some of his wonderful stories about Buck O'Neill, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell. Bob also talked about the impact of the coronavirus on the museum as well as the Negro Leagues Centennial celebration that was kicked off in February. Always uplifting, Bob has a way of bringing everyone together. Enjoy the show!

While everything's on hold in baseball, it didn't keep the guys from talking about baseball's brightest prospects. Keith Law, Senior Baseball Writer for The Athletic, joined the guys on Episode 12 to discuss the process for gathering his top prospects list, the impact of this year's draft on amateur players and his new book - The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves. All that and more...enjoy!

He spent parts of 19 seasons as a Major League player and now is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers front office. Raul Ibañez joined the guys to talk about his career, the person who influenced him the most with his turnaround as a player after being designated for assignment twice, breaking down swings and swing doctors and gives the guys his top 3 hitters he'd pick to have at the plate if you need a hit in a crucial situation. All that and more, join Victor & Joel as they talk with of the game's good guys. Enjoy!

The incomparable Tim Mead, the President of the Baseball Hall of Fame, joined the guys on Episode 10 of BFBS. Tim spoke of what the transition was like for him when he took over at the Hall in June of last year, the adjustments the museum has had to make with our current environment, his love of the game of baseball and how the stories we share are helping people get through these tough times. Simply a wonderful, uplifting conversation with one of the best people in the game of baseball. Enjoy!

The guys shift gears to the American League East and the New York Yankees on Episode 9 with Meredith Marakovits, YES Network reporter. She joined the show from her home in Clearwater, FL. and gave us the 411 on the Yankees injury front, Aaron Boone's impact on the club and she talks about the continuing wave of women joining the baseball ranks, on and off the field. She's one of the best for a reason. Enjoy!

LA Angels manager, Joe Maddon, joined the show to talk with teh guys about a number of his favorite topics. From the social media content he's producing to the state of the Angels in 2020 to managing the Rays and Cubs to leadership skills...Maddon breaks it down as he usually does, straight to the point. He even drops in a story about Victor's dad, Cookie, from his early Angels days. Enjoy!

The guys kick off week 2 of BFBS with none other than talented and versatile play-by-play man, Dan Shulman of ESPN and the Toronto Blue Jays. Dan talks with the guys about finding out the news about all of the cancellations due to Covid-19 as he was getting ready to call games in Greensboro, NC for the ACC tournament. The guys also talk all things Blue Jays including the young studs in the lineup. 

Wrapping up the first week of the Big Fly Baseball Show, the guys talk about the just completed agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association in regards to a number of negotiated items that needed to be addressed as it relates to the 2020 season. Also, baseball agent Scott Boras joined Victor to talk about the agreement along with his thoughts on how baseball could benefit from a neutral site extravaganza for World Series week (we called it Baseballpolooza) as well as the Boras Corporation's inspirational campaign called "Crush Covid." Enjoy!

White Sox announcer Jason Benetti joins Victor and Joel to discuss the Sox, the American League Central and traveling the country announcing baseball amidst the coronavirus outbreak and his subsequent 14-day quarantine.  

Longtime baseball writer and reporter Ken Rosenthal joins Joel and Victor to discuss the latest on MLB and the MLBPA in terms of player compensation during the season delay and the outlook for playing in 2020.

The guys chat with future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols about life without baseball during the coronavirus pandemic, his preparation for a season that has no start date and his quest for 700 home runs.

Joel and Victor discuss the Astros cheating scandal, what lies ahead for the Red Sox, talk new managers, answer fan email, and channel positivity from the legendary Vin Scully during these tough times.